# data[].attributes.body
The Australian justice system decided to have a secondary level of government known as our local government. The are also known as council. The main idea of a local government is to provide public services, deal with all smooth running of the town and ensure a safe environment (Emily).

Our community is part of the local government called City of Casey.
City of Casey is considered to be the fastest growing council in Australia. This is due to the increased number of population in the South-Eastern Suburbs in Melbourne (James).

Our local government is chosen through a fair election held every four years. All people must enroll as state and local voters to be able to vote for their local council. Once we have voted for our local government and its members, they have the power to make decisions for us (Max).

As soon as children leave home they discover all the services the local government provide for us:
-school
-paths
-local roads
-swimming pools
-child care
-community art projects
-meals on wheels
-support groups (Layla)

# data[].attributes.headline
Why is it important to have rules and laws? 

# data[].attributes.subject
Why is it important to have rules and laws? 

# data[].attributes.body
Difference between rules and laws:
Rules are implemented similar to a classroom. Rules in the classroom allows every one to be treated fairly, the keep the environment clean and institute respect for one another.

Laws are created by our local government to protect people and property. Laws are similar to rules, except laws are created for everyone to follow (James).

Examples of Casey Local Laws - Animal and Pets:
-All animal owners must register their pets at the local council
-Every Year all animals owners need to renew their pet registration
-Owners have a limitation on the number of pets they can own depending on the size of their land
-All pets need to be microchiped before registration can be processed
-Owners that have breeds of dogs considered dangerous may be restricted on how they keep them (Emily).

Australia with no road rules:
When driving was first invented there were no stop signs, no lights, no signs and all drivers were driving however they felt it was suitable for the. This kind of driving resulted in many accidents, traffic jams and massive pile-ups on roads (Max).

Start of Road Rules:
In 1865 Britain decided to start implementing rules surrounding vehicles such as only being allowed to travel slowly in the attempt to fix road issues. Also, when vehicles were approaching hired individuals would wave a red flag to announce that a vehicle was approaching. More so, the speed limit was set to between 3 km/hour to 6 km/hour. However, as technology was advancing cars became faster and lighter, therefore the first laws around road safety were implemented in 1904 in South Australia (Layla).

# data[].attributes.body
Democracy:
Democracy was instituted in the Ancient Greece, where many people wanted to have a say about the continuous wars that were existed. The Greeks decided to create 'democracy' which was created from two Greek words that mean ' rule of the people' (Max).

Although, democracy was forgotten during the middle ages, today democracy is the most common way of government all around the world (Emily).

However, it is different to Ancient Greece where all people voted on laws. Today we elect who gets to vote on laws for us.  This way of government is known as 'representative democracy' (Layla).

Individuals known as politicians represent us in the government and showcase our wants and needs.

Many values are included in democracy here in Australia:
-Freedom of speech
-Equal rights
-Right to justice (James)

So how is the Casey council Democratic?

Our Casey Council is democratic because we get to vote the members and they offer us ways to express our concerns through petitions, demonstrations and feedback forms available on their website (Max).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Long, long ago in ancient Greece, the people of Athens were in danger.

NOBLE BOY: Did you hear the Persians are planning to attack us?

NOBLE GIRL: Yeah, we might have to do something about it. Let's fight!

NOBLE BOY: OK!

But not everyone in the city wanted to.

POOR GIRL: I'm not too keen on this whole war thing, I wish I could have a say.

POOR BOY: Maybe we can?

To give the people more of a say on big decisions like this, the Greeks came up with something they called democracy! Democracy is a mash up of two Greek words. Demos meaning people and Kratos meaning power or rule. So together it basically means rule of the people

NOBLE GIRL: OK here's the idea. We let people vote on issues and then you guys can have a say on whatever affects you.

PEOPLE: Yay!

Well they didn't really mean everyone.

NOBLE GIRL: Oh wait, we won't let women vote, slaves vote or anyone too poor.

NOBLE BOY: Yes!

That still left thousands of men and all of them were allowed to attend meetings and vote on any issues that were important to them. The Ancient Greeks were some of the first people to experiment with better ways of leading their people. While their system was far from fair, it was a pretty revolutionary idea while it lasted.

As time went on, new rulers took over, things changed and democracy kind of died out for a while.

By the Middle Ages, monarchies had become popular. That's where kings and queens rule and the people don't get a say. But an important document called Magna Carta evened things up a little by promising people some very basic rights and slowly, over the next few hundred years, the idea of democracy started to take hold again.

Fast forward to today and democracy is the most popular form of government around the world. But it works very differently to how it did in Ancient Greece! In Australia we have something called a representative democracy. That means that unlike ancient Greece, where everyone went to meet and vote on laws, we elect a representative to do that for us!

POLITICIAN 1: I'll represent you!

POLITICIAN 2: No vote for me. I know what you want!

They're our politicians and they represent us in parliament. It's their responsibility to keep in touch with their voters and make sure their voices are heard on a national level.

POLITICIAN 1: I'm the politician that's right for you.

POLITICIAN 2: I'll make this world a better place.

Some really important values also form the basis of our democracy here in Australia. We are guaranteed the freedom to express our views without getting into trouble, equal rights for people from all different backgrounds and the right to justice and a fair and independent trial.

So that's democracy in Australia, but democracy isn't the only form of government out there. Some countries, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are an absolute monarchy. That's when someone born into a royal family has complete control over the people and all laws and decisions are made by that person or family. A dictatorship is another form of government. It's similar to an absolute monarchy in that one leader has power over a country, but they usually aren't royal. Instead, dictators often take control of a country by force. North Korea and Zimbabwe are considered dictatorships. In these countries, people usually don't have a lot of rights and often aren't looked after very well by their rulers.

Australia's system of democracy, on the other hand, is designed to have the people's best interests at heart and while it may not always work perfectly, we're lucky to live in a country where we have the right to voice our opinions and the freedom to make a difference.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Long, long ago in ancient Greece, the people of Athens were in danger. NOBLE BOY: Did you hear the Persians are planning to attack us? NOBLE GIRL: Yeah, we might have to do something about it. Let's fight! NOBLE BOY: OK! But not everyone in the city wanted to.

# data[].attributes.body
Responsibilities as a Casey community member :
As a community member, we can make a difference by becoming a local counselor. Surprisingly even just standing as a candidate provides exceptional experience and gives people a chance to express their points of view to Casey Council (Max).
Many people consider running for council to share ideas about involvement of local aboriginal communities and considering those who many call as the 'people on the ground'. Additionally, citizens consider running a way to have a say and represent their families and friends. Basically, having member of the council that are part of the community ensures that the local government caters for the community needs (James).
Public Health and Safety Rules:
-Any machines/vehicles that contain a combustion engine are not to be used before 7 am and before 8 pm during weekdays and before 9 am and after 8 pm on a weekend.
-Any power tools are not to be used before 7 am and after 8 pm on a weekday and before 9 am and after 8 pm on a weekend.
-Any electrical device such as an air conditioner, vaccume cleaner, pool pump or spa is not to be used before 7 am and after 10 pm on weekdays and before 7 am and 10 pm on weekends.
-Music instruments or stereos are not to be used before 7 am and after 10 pm Monday-Thursday, before 7 am and after 11 pm on a Friday and before 9 am and after on Saturday and public holidays and before 9 am and after 10 pm on a Sunday.
-Electrical gardening equipment is not to be used before 7 am and after 8 pm on weekdays and before 9 am and after 8 pm on weekends (Emily).
Bicycle Rules  in Victoria
(Layla)

# data[].attributes.body
What is sustainability?
The idea of sustainability is for all individuals to act responsibly to ensure that the resources we have will be available for all generations to come (Max).

Important factors to consider when thinking about sustainability:
-Our earth only has a limited amount of resources, yet we overuse the resources to create all that we have around us and is essential to our way of living today
-It is important to remember that our actions now impact the conservation of resources and how available they will be in the future (James)
-One common way to depict if an action is sustainable is by asking the question 'Can I do this forever?'. For example plastic is an item that is used in almost everything we use everyday. However, the downside is that plastic takes a long time to decompose meaning that is just takes up a lot of space on our planet (Emily).

So here are some sustainable practices our Council tries to implement:
Emily

# data[].attributes.body
http://knowyourcouncil.vic.gov.au/guide-to-councils/council-elections/how-elections-work

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4460249.htm

http://knowyourcouncil.vic.gov.au/councils/casey

https://www.australia.gov.au/about-government/how-government-works/local-government

http://www.casey.vic.gov.au
/health-safety/local-laws/animals

http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/L9510/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g79TDvKSwo

# data[].attributes.headline
How can Aboriginal Culture teach us about sustainability? 

# data[].attributes.subject
How can Aboriginal Culture teach us about sustainability? 

# data[].attributes.body
Western Port Scar Tree:
-Boonerwrung people are the traditional indigenous owners of the Western Port area
-Scar trees are a home for birds that provide eggs as food
-Scar trees are an example of how sustainable the Aboriginal Culture is (James)
-Scar trees are a remainder of how indigenous people used the bark from the trees to create canoes, containers, shelters and much more. (Max)

# data[].attributes.headline
Importance of accepting all cultural and social groups

# data[].attributes.subject
Importance of accepting all cultural and social groups

# data[].attributes.body
One of the main ideas within a democratic community is the acceptance of all cultures and social groups. Therefore, many individuals are pushing for Aboriginal women to run for the Casey Council, as it is part of their culture to cater and care for their family and friends (Max).

Cultural Activities in Schools:
(Layla)

# data[].attributes.body
It is important to use the information from the local government about sustainability and apply it in our schools (James).

This is hoe Grade 4 practices sustainability:
Emily

# data[].attributes.body
(James)

# data[].attributes.body
How did we feel when we first began this Project?
When we first began the Project we felt a little confused, but also excited because we knew we are given the whole term to work on our project. We were also very excited to be working on laptops every lesson. It reminded us all of what our parents do at work.

How did our teacher help us on this journey?
Each lesson our teacher gave us 'Genius Hour' time where we worked in our HASS groups on our project. During our HASS lessons we were allowed to take notes and use that information as part of our projects. Also, we were given many resources we were allowed to use in our projects. During silent time, our teacher and teacher aid worked with each group to help us in all areas we were stuck.

How did each lesson help us create our padlet?
Each lesson seemed to be a little of our project. Almost like we were learning new information, discovering more information in our groups and being able to use this information as part of our project. Each lesson explained really well each question in our project.

How could this Project been made better?
Maybe we could have presented our ideas orally as well, as supposed to just with the online community.

How do we feel about our final product?
Our final product is very informative, has many resources and includes all the new information we learned this term in HASS.